IPL GC to hold review meeting

A senior member of the Indian Premier League Governing Council said that the GC will hold a review meeting to take stock of the IPL once it is over so that the off-field controversies that rocked the cash-rich Twenty20 league do not happen in future.

M P Pandove, a GC member and former BCCI treasurer, said the meeting will discuss corrective measures after IPL hit the headlines due to controversies ranging from a TV sting claiming to expose spot-fixing to alleged molestation charge against a player and two players being detained at a rave party.

Pandove said that he favoured a stringent Code of Conduct for the players and regulatory control over them.

"After IPL is over, we will sit and review things. We will discuss everything in detail," Pandove, who is also secretary of Punjab Cricket Association.

He agreed that IPL 5 has been more in the news due to off-the-ground activities than on-field but said that the tournament could not be blamed for that.

He, however, asserted that IPL was here to stay and those wishing otherwise would be proved wrong "as people love this format and have extended their full support by watching the matches in maximum attendance".

"Now, you say about players attending late night parties. As far as IPL is concerned, we stopped holding such parties in the second season itself. IPL does not hold any such function and we have even issued advisories to the franchisees, who hold these events, not to engage the players," he said.

He said that players should themselves refrain from going to such parties and concentrate on the game.

"We will suggest and work out a system to have some kind of regulatory control. Some strict Code of Conduct for the players and regulatory control has to be there," said Pandove.

On allegations of black money being pumped into the IPL, Pandove said, "As far as the IPL and BCCI is concerned, there is no such thing."

"If a franchisee has taken the team, how would BCCI know how money has come to the franchisee. We don't have investigative agency. If the Government or the Enforcement Directorate feel there is some doubt, they can always investigate," said Pandove.

He said that the BCCI strictly follows the "payment purse" for each franchisees.

"If somebody does underhand deal with any player, the Board can suspend that particular player. We were also quick to suspend the five players after the TV sting," he said.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad reduced the West Indies to 84 for four at lunch on the first day of the second Test at Trent Bridge here on Friday, as the tourists suffered another collapse.
But Shivnarine Chanderpaul, officially the world's best batsman, was still there on 19 not out after defying England's attack for more than 10 hours during West Indies' five-wicket defeat in the first Test at Lord's.

Murali Vijay became the first Indian to hammer two centuries in the Indian Premier League as Chennai Super Kings stormed into final with an 86-run win over Delhi Daredevils on Friday.
The opener cracked four sixes and 15 fours in his quickfire 58-ball 113 as defending champions Chennai posted a commanding 222-5 off their 20 overs before dismissing Delhi for 136 at the Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.